He stood in front of her and must've said something, because her eyes lifted to his. We could see his mouth moving, and then she smiled. He reached his hand out, gripped hers, took one step forward, and then leaned in for the kiss.
We all sucked in a breath, the anticipation of her reaction killing us. "Get it," I heard Cam say.
We waited.
And waited.
Then her arm came up and curled around his neck, bringing him closer.
We all cheered, and then laughed at how stupid we were.
We must've been loud, because it caused them to pull apart. He turned around and shook his head at us. His mouth started moving again. She nodded, her smile huge. They walked towards us, hand in hand, and then her boyfriend called out. He broke through his little group and followed them. By the time he reached them, they were already at our table. Cameron stood up and placed his fisted hands on the table. He glared at the kid. "Problem, you little punk?"
The kid halted. I stood up. He raised his hands. "No problem."
He walked away.
"Great," Little Logan said. "Now he's gonna beat the shit out of you when Cam's not around."
"No he won't," Cam said. He eyed me and jerked his head towards the kid who'd just left. "We'll take care of it."
Amanda
"Neanderthals," Lucy stated.
I laughed. "They mean well." I watched as Logan and Cam caught up with the kid. Logan placed his hand on his shoulder and spoke down to him. He could be intimidating when he wanted to.
He could also be ridiculously hot.
I turned back and looked at the spread of food in front of me. Hot dogs, funnel cakes, nuggets, burgers, fries, corn dogs, you name it, it was all on the table. "Okay, Lachlan. What do you think we should get into first?"
"All of it," he yelled, clapping enthusiastically.
"Okay, then."
He giggled as I started giving him portions of all the food Logan had bought. "He's right to have all this?" I asked Lucy. "He's not allergic to anything?"
She shook her head. "The kid ate dog poop when he was three. He's good to go." Leo's girl giggled next to him. He watched her with a small smile on his face, just like Logan did with me.
"Hey, bud," Logan said. He stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders, but he was talking to Lachlan. "You think maybe I can have my girl back? Maybe I can sit next to her for a bit?"
He shrugged. "Maybe later."
I contained my laugh while I continued making his plate for him. Logan muttered something under his breath, but took a seat on the other side of him. "You planning on stealing her?" He winked at me, his dimples on full show. I couldn't help but smile.
"Maybe," Lachlan shouted. "Probably not. I love her."
Logan choked on his soda.
"Actually," Lachlan started. He eyed the sky, contemplating. "Will you be my mommy? I don't have a mommy. You can be her, right?"
I sucked in a breath as his eyes locked with mine, the intensity in them so much more than his years should allow. He waited anxiously for my answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat.
Then Logan spoke, "Hey, buddy."
Lachlan turned to him.
I let out the breath.
"You know," Logan said, glancing at me quickly, "I don't have a mommy either. But it's cool, because my dad—he's pretty awesome. I bet your dad's awesome, too, right?"
Lachlan nodded enthusiastically.
"And you have a lot of awesome brothers and sisters, as well."
Lachlan's head turned as he looked around the table. "Yeah." Then he faced Logan again. "Do you have brothers and sisters?"
Logan smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes and no," he answered. His head bent down so he was speaking only to Lachlan. "I mean—your sister, Lucy, and our friends Mikayla and Heidi, they're kind of like sisters to me. And our friends Jake, and Dylan, and even Cameron—they're my brothers."
Lachlan nodded slowly. "Cameron's my brother, too," he announced. "He's my brother . . . in . . . lawn? No! Low? No!"
The corner of Logan's lips curled up.
"Um . . ." Lachlan looked up to one of the eldest boys. "What did you tell me he is? Brother in . . .?"
"Law," his older brother confirmed. "Brother-in-law."
Lucy smiled and Cam placed his arm around her shoulders, bringer her in to kiss her on the temple.
"Yeah. Brother-in-law." Lachlan turned back to Logan now. "So does that mean we're brothers?"
"Yeah, dude, we can be brothers. I'd like that."
"But you'd be a good brother, right?" Lachlan's tone was low, serious. "Not like them." He jerked his head in the direction of his brothers. "They all told me to eat dog poop."
Everyone laughed.
Logan raised his eyes to me. I love you, I mouthed. He smiled, but it was sad.
***
"C'mon, Lachy. Let's get you cleaned up," Lucy said. Everyone stood and started clearing the table.
"Okay!" he agreed. He stood on the seat and smacked his lips on my cheeks, leaving a wet stickiness when he pulled away. "Wait up, guys!" He jumped off and joined the rest of his family.
Then it was just Logan and me. I heard his deep chuckle from next to me. He picked up a napkin and wiped my cheek. "I can't take you anywhere," he joked quietly.
I turned my head slowly, kissing first his palm, and then his lips. "Are you okay?"
He shrugged and looked away.
"Do you think about them?"
"My mom or Megan?"
"Both."
His shoulders lifted again.
I sighed. "I love you." I didn't know what else to say.
He was distracted when he replied, "I love you, too."
I pulled out the vial pendant and held it in my hand. "You know, one day, baby, I'm going to take your nightmares and turn them into dreams."
He glanced at my hand holding the pendant, and then our eyes locked. "You already do, Amanda. Every damn day."
My lungs filled with his breath as he kissed me. It was slow, needy, and passionate. He was remembering me. Savoring the moment.
A tiny throat clearing interrupted us. We both turned to see Lachlan, his hands behind his back and a cheesy grin on his face.
"Buddy," Logan teased. "You keep killing my game, here."
We stood up, just as Lachlan wormed his way between us. He held each of our hands in his. "Ferris wheel," he squealed.
So that's what we did.
***
"I love living here," I told him. We were almost at the top; you could see the town and the city from where we were.
"Yeah?" he asked. "You plan on staying around?"
I shrugged. "It depends, I mean—eventually, I think so."
He waited a while before he asked, "Eventually?"
I glanced at him quickly, but then turned back to the view. "After we live wherever you go to med school, maybe travel for a bit, come back here, create a home . . ." I trailed off.
We all sucked in a breath, the anticipation of her reaction killing us. "Get it," I heard Cam say.
We waited.
And waited.
Then her arm came up and curled around his neck, bringing him closer.
We all cheered, and then laughed at how stupid we were.
We must've been loud, because it caused them to pull apart. He turned around and shook his head at us. His mouth started moving again. She nodded, her smile huge. They walked towards us, hand in hand, and then her boyfriend called out. He broke through his little group and followed them. By the time he reached them, they were already at our table. Cameron stood up and placed his fisted hands on the table. He glared at the kid. "Problem, you little punk?"
The kid halted. I stood up. He raised his hands. "No problem."
He walked away.
"Great," Little Logan said. "Now he's gonna beat the shit out of you when Cam's not around."
"No he won't," Cam said. He eyed me and jerked his head towards the kid who'd just left. "We'll take care of it."
Amanda
"Neanderthals," Lucy stated.
I laughed. "They mean well." I watched as Logan and Cam caught up with the kid. Logan placed his hand on his shoulder and spoke down to him. He could be intimidating when he wanted to.
He could also be ridiculously hot.
I turned back and looked at the spread of food in front of me. Hot dogs, funnel cakes, nuggets, burgers, fries, corn dogs, you name it, it was all on the table. "Okay, Lachlan. What do you think we should get into first?"
"All of it," he yelled, clapping enthusiastically.
"Okay, then."
He giggled as I started giving him portions of all the food Logan had bought. "He's right to have all this?" I asked Lucy. "He's not allergic to anything?"
She shook her head. "The kid ate dog poop when he was three. He's good to go." Leo's girl giggled next to him. He watched her with a small smile on his face, just like Logan did with me.
"Hey, bud," Logan said. He stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders, but he was talking to Lachlan. "You think maybe I can have my girl back? Maybe I can sit next to her for a bit?"
He shrugged. "Maybe later."
I contained my laugh while I continued making his plate for him. Logan muttered something under his breath, but took a seat on the other side of him. "You planning on stealing her?" He winked at me, his dimples on full show. I couldn't help but smile.
"Maybe," Lachlan shouted. "Probably not. I love her."
Logan choked on his soda.
"Actually," Lachlan started. He eyed the sky, contemplating. "Will you be my mommy? I don't have a mommy. You can be her, right?"
I sucked in a breath as his eyes locked with mine, the intensity in them so much more than his years should allow. He waited anxiously for my answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat.
Then Logan spoke, "Hey, buddy."
Lachlan turned to him.
I let out the breath.
"You know," Logan said, glancing at me quickly, "I don't have a mommy either. But it's cool, because my dad—he's pretty awesome. I bet your dad's awesome, too, right?"
Lachlan nodded enthusiastically.
"And you have a lot of awesome brothers and sisters, as well."
Lachlan's head turned as he looked around the table. "Yeah." Then he faced Logan again. "Do you have brothers and sisters?"
Logan smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes and no," he answered. His head bent down so he was speaking only to Lachlan. "I mean—your sister, Lucy, and our friends Mikayla and Heidi, they're kind of like sisters to me. And our friends Jake, and Dylan, and even Cameron—they're my brothers."
Lachlan nodded slowly. "Cameron's my brother, too," he announced. "He's my brother . . . in . . . lawn? No! Low? No!"
The corner of Logan's lips curled up.
"Um . . ." Lachlan looked up to one of the eldest boys. "What did you tell me he is? Brother in . . .?"
"Law," his older brother confirmed. "Brother-in-law."
Lucy smiled and Cam placed his arm around her shoulders, bringer her in to kiss her on the temple.
"Yeah. Brother-in-law." Lachlan turned back to Logan now. "So does that mean we're brothers?"
"Yeah, dude, we can be brothers. I'd like that."
"But you'd be a good brother, right?" Lachlan's tone was low, serious. "Not like them." He jerked his head in the direction of his brothers. "They all told me to eat dog poop."
Everyone laughed.
Logan raised his eyes to me. I love you, I mouthed. He smiled, but it was sad.
***
"C'mon, Lachy. Let's get you cleaned up," Lucy said. Everyone stood and started clearing the table.
"Okay!" he agreed. He stood on the seat and smacked his lips on my cheeks, leaving a wet stickiness when he pulled away. "Wait up, guys!" He jumped off and joined the rest of his family.
Then it was just Logan and me. I heard his deep chuckle from next to me. He picked up a napkin and wiped my cheek. "I can't take you anywhere," he joked quietly.
I turned my head slowly, kissing first his palm, and then his lips. "Are you okay?"
He shrugged and looked away.
"Do you think about them?"
"My mom or Megan?"
"Both."
His shoulders lifted again.
I sighed. "I love you." I didn't know what else to say.
He was distracted when he replied, "I love you, too."
I pulled out the vial pendant and held it in my hand. "You know, one day, baby, I'm going to take your nightmares and turn them into dreams."
He glanced at my hand holding the pendant, and then our eyes locked. "You already do, Amanda. Every damn day."
My lungs filled with his breath as he kissed me. It was slow, needy, and passionate. He was remembering me. Savoring the moment.
A tiny throat clearing interrupted us. We both turned to see Lachlan, his hands behind his back and a cheesy grin on his face.
"Buddy," Logan teased. "You keep killing my game, here."
We stood up, just as Lachlan wormed his way between us. He held each of our hands in his. "Ferris wheel," he squealed.
So that's what we did.
***
"I love living here," I told him. We were almost at the top; you could see the town and the city from where we were.
"Yeah?" he asked. "You plan on staying around?"
I shrugged. "It depends, I mean—eventually, I think so."
He waited a while before he asked, "Eventually?"
I glanced at him quickly, but then turned back to the view. "After we live wherever you go to med school, maybe travel for a bit, come back here, create a home . . ." I trailed off.
